Managing a potential conflict between the protection of geological sites and the need to safeguard essential road infrastructure: the Coverack North Coast Protection Scheme and palaeo-Moho in Cornwall, UK

Abstract

In alignment with the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Shoreline Management Plan (SMP2), adopted by Cornwall Council, the Coverack North Coast Protection Scheme comprised the construction of a circa 125m long rock armour revetment, and 55m long retaining wall, at Coverack Cove on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall, UK. This was to prevent sea erosion impacting vehicle access via the B3294, the main public highway into Coverack. The site of the proposed works on Coverack Beach is part of a Natural England designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its geology, specifically the exposure on the foreshore of an almost continuous cross section of a palaeo-Moho, the former boundary between the earth's crust and underlying mantle. Following a period of consultation, a set of management proposals and mitigation measures were agreed with Natural England and Cornwall Council to protect and offset the impact of the proposed works on the SSSI asset. It is sometimes difficult to reconcile the issue of protecting communities from coastal erosion and ensuring the protection of geological assets. This can be mitigated if a balanced approach is adopted, and the work is sensitively managed to offset the impact of coastal protection schemes such of this.